Not if one of the guys in the cage is juiced to the gills. The organization can't even keep that straight sometimes.The only fair thing about this sport is what happens inside of the cage/ring. Quite literally everything else is done for money/eyeballs.
This is how sport fighting has been for hundreds of years. People who don't sell aren't wanted. There has always been promotion and fighters that could sell sand to arab.UFC is definitely less legit than other major sports.
They get rid of guys that are the best fighters if they don't sell enough tickets.
What they did to mighty mouse was like the Utah jazz trading away John Stockton because he can't dunk.
Plus no matter how good you are, they'll give you the toughest path to a title if you're boring. And the easiest path to the title if you're exciting.
Does it make for a more exciting product? Yes, but it does come at the cost of some legitimacy.
I would prefer they alter the rules to discourage boring fights rather than play the hand of God in their matchmaking
Absolutely. MMA is a sport, UFC is not.UFC is devolving into WWE. They try to captivate fans with stories and big personalities while pushing skill and merit to the back burners. They've always done this, but it seems to be accelerating to the point that things like championship belts have no meaning.
What is an interim champion? (from Wikipedia)
We all saw Jon Jones come back and defend the "heavyweight championship", but Tom Aspinal is still the "interim champion". There are 2 champions and people are so stupid they don't question anything, but demand JJ fights Tom. Of course this occurred after the actual champion was released from the UFC because he tried to get health care and better benefits for his colleagues. This scenario is one example of the UFC's disrespect of the sport of MMA.
This is annoying because UFC has it's roots in spectacle / freak show fights and it took forever to gain legitimacy. It was so cool when they first started showing results on ESPN.
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grumble ...
Yeah they always say x person could be a ufc champion or fighterFor most casuals MMA = UFC.
The UFC has just been massively diluted in recent years. Too many mediocre fighters, Champions leaving with the belt so its obviously not the best ITW anymore, boring grappling style. Every single event seems to end with several of the fighters on the card being told to retire by Dana White.
I can guarantee mma will still be around in 20-30 years. I won't forget to bring this post up in 2055MMA is not going to last long term anyway. Even legends like Nogueira are less than 50 years old FFS... can you imagine the long term health effects we're going to see in the future?
It is very obvious that the NFL is already trying to get people used to Flag Football because contact sports will eventually face severe restrictions when widespread CTE issues become too common/costly to ignore. Considering the entire purpose of MMA is to hurt someone... I find it highly unlikely we'll still see it 20-30 years from now.
Also, the UFC's biggest damage to the sport (besides their current monopoly) is that they completely tear down the past as soon as it's no longer "of use" to them. Most people get into sports because their parents were into sports and that fandom is engrained into them. There is a sense of legacy and belonging that keeps them coming back.
MMA fandom doesn't have that longevity for most and I think it's because the non-stop hype machine telling you that "the next card is the biggest ever and current fighter is the best ever" gets exhausting to hear over and over.
You get invested in certain stars, you tune in to see them succeed, and then as soon as they lose (or God forbid go to another promotion), the UFC acts like they were never that good (or never even existed) so all of your "investment" was for nothing. Not even getting to see your favorite fighter's best highlights in a countdown because they pissed Dana off at some point is particularly insulting. Considering fans are always obsessed with talking about "legacy", it's bizarre that they don't realize that legacy is completely manufactured and even those most deserving like Chuck, Randy, Wanderlei, Forrest, etc are basically completely forgotten already.
There's a reason why you can so easily identify the different eras of fans in MMA: The OG Gracie era, the TUF noobs, Ex-WWE Brock fans, Conor marks, Khabib marks, etc. People tune in for a while, become die hards, see their favorites get old, and then lose interest. There was a time you were looked down upon for becoming a fan from watching TUF but now there's barely anyone left from that era. MMA is a fad sport dominated by an extremely corrupt company that will never reach a sustained level of mainstream popularity. Its roots are in freak show fights and that will never change until the day it gets banned
Because I care about it and love it. I'm a passionate fan.then dont support it
easy as that
why are you still here talking about the ufc
lol
UFC is devolving into WWE. They try to captivate fans with stories and big personalities while pushing skill and merit to the back burners. They've always done this, but it seems to be accelerating to the point that things like championship belts have no meaning.
What is an interim champion? (from Wikipedia)
We all saw Jon Jones come back and defend the "heavyweight championship", but Tom Aspinal is still the "interim champion". There are 2 champions and people are so stupid they don't question anything, but demand JJ fights Tom. Of course this occurred after the actual champion was released from the UFC because he tried to get health care and better benefits for his colleagues. This scenario is one example of the UFC's disrespect of the sport of MMA.
This is annoying because UFC has it's roots in spectacle / freak show fights and it took forever to gain legitimacy. It was so cool when they first started showing results on ESPN.
...
grumble ...
What does PFL have to do with UFC evolving from freak show to sport, and then sliding back toward freak show? It's been proven that the barrier to entry is too high to compete in MMA. All non UFC orgs fail.Yeah PFL buying Bellator and not giving their fighters any fights is way better for the sport
You dudes are so confused. Why Sir in sweet Hawaii booty meat would the UFC rush to make the only fucking HW fight or fighter that can compete with ANYTHING PFL and Ngannou do? Nobody outside of you and some hardcores gives a leprechauns green fuck about HW without JBJ. You human bozo factories cry and you complain but you are in a vacuum of hardcores screaming about belt integrity when you aren’t a fart in overall viewership. It hasn’t happened yet because NOBODY gives a shit about Tom unless he’s being ducked by Jones. Tom should kiss his ashen coke powdered feet. Without him doing that for his career he’s a Fight Night star power fighter. RespectfullyUFC is devolving into WWE. They try to captivate fans with stories and big personalities while pushing skill and merit to the back burners. They've always done this, but it seems to be accelerating to the point that things like championship belts have no meaning.
What is an interim champion? (from Wikipedia)
We all saw Jon Jones come back and defend the "heavyweight championship", but Tom Aspinal is still the "interim champion". There are 2 champions and people are so stupid they don't question anything, but demand JJ fights Tom. Of course this occurred after the actual champion was released from the UFC because he tried to get health care and better benefits for his colleagues. This scenario is one example of the UFC's disrespect of the sport of MMA.
This is annoying because UFC has it's roots in spectacle / freak show fights and it took forever to gain legitimacy. It was so cool when they first started showing results on ESPN.
...
grumble ...
What does PFL have to do with UFC evolving from freak show to sport, and then sliding back toward freak show? It's been proven that the barrier to entry is too high to compete in MMA. All non UFC orgs fail.
The best and probably only way for the UFC to change is for the fighters to organize.
Lol Ngannou has been the lineal heavyweight champion since before Jones even had the balls to fight at heavyweight. And Tom has basically cleared the division out.. Jones has beaten a guy with no wrestling (who lost to volkov btw) and a retired fighter.You dudes are so confused. Why Sir in sweet Hawaii booty meat would the UFC rush to make the only fucking HW fight or fighter that can compete with ANYTHING PFL and Ngannou do? Nobody outside of you and some hardcores gives a leprechauns green fuck about HW without JBJ. You human bozo factories cry and you complain but you are in a vacuum of hardcores screaming about belt integrity when you aren’t a fart in overall viewership. It hasn’t happened yet because NOBODY gives a shit about Tom unless he’s being ducked by Jones. Tom should kiss his ashen coke powdered feet. Without him doing that for his career he’s a Fight Night star power fighter. Respectfully